Attari (Amritsar ) : In a goodwill gesture, the Indian government set free twenty two Pakistani prisoners who crossed over to Pakistan through the Joint Check Post (JCP) at Attari/Wagah border here today.
They were handed over to the Pakistani Rangers at Joint Check Post (JCP) by the Border Security Force. Fishermen crossed over to Pakistan on the basis of ‘Emergency Travel Certificate’ issued by the Delhi based Pakistani high commission, since at the time of arrest none of the Pakistani nationals was carrying any kind of travel documents.
Among twenty two released Pakistanis, there were nine fishermen who were brought here at Attari/ Wagah border from Kuch jail of Gujarat, ten from the Amritsar Central jail who were arrested in the different districts of Punjab when they had crossed over international border from Pakistan side to India without any travel document. Three other prisoners were released from the other jails of the nation.
Pakistani prisoners were repatriated today after the completion of their jail term awarded by the Indian court of law.
All the fishermen were nabbed by the Indian Navy coast guards during illegal fishing in the Arabian Sea.
Fishermen, before leaving to Pakistan claimed that they were innocent as they didn’t cross the Indian territory intentionally since during fishing in the Arabian Sea their boats slipped into India through territorial water due to immense water flow and wind direction whereupon they were held for illegal fishing on Indian side.
